This invention relates generally to board games, and more particularly to a blackjack board game wherein the well-known game of blackjack, which is ordinarily played with playing cards, is played on a board without the use of any playing cards.
The prior art has taken a variety of approaches toward providing board games which bear some similarity to chance games of the type which are generally played with playing cards. Generally, such board games required the use of a conventional deck of cards, and therefore the board apparatus aspect of the game serves merely as an aid in organizing the playing cards during play.
In addition to the foregoing, the prior art has provided game apparatus which serves to assist in the chance selection of selected playing card values by the spinning of a pointer indicator. One such device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,231,406, wherein the five high card values of each of the four suits are indicated so as to permit a pointer to land on any of such twenty card values. As shown in this patent, the card selection apparatus is essentially in the form of an ash tray and can only include selection of one of twenty possible card values. A substantial reduction in the printing on the ash tray, or enlargement of the ash tray itself, would be required if all fifty two cards of a conventional playing deck were to be represented thereon.
Blackjack is well known as being one of the most popular games. In casino play, a plurality of decks of cards, illustratively eight, are shuffled together and used by the dealer. It is a problem with playing blackjack in this manner that use of so many decks of playing cards is expensive and bulky for home use. In addition, the use of playing cards requires periodic reshuffling thereof and the possible loss or misplacement of one or more cards.
It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a blackjack board game which does not require the use of cards during pay.
It is another object of this invention to provide a blackjack board game which captures the essence of conventional blackjack using playing cards.
It is also an object of this invention to provide a blackjack board game which produces the effect of playing blackjack with multiple decks of playing cards.
It is additionally an object of the invention to provide a blackjack board game which is simple and inexpensive.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a blackjack board game wherein the probabilities of winning and losing correspond substantially to the game as played with playing cards.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide a blackjack board game which can be played by a single player.
It is still another object of this invention to provide a blackjack board game which eliminates card counting by a player.
it is a yet further object of this invention to provide a blackjack board game wherein the house, or the dealer, can have a probability of winning or busting which corresponds to the probability of winning or busting when the game is played with playing cards, and without the need for a player to function as the dealer.